POPSUGAR Celebrity

Trick Out Their Home Bar With These Spirituous Gifts

Dec 2 2013 - 2:30pm

Chances are that you have a cocktail and spirits aficionado in your life whose tastes run beyond the everyday. This year, show them you care with liqueurs, top-shelf liquor, exotic ingredients, or the requisite gear suited to their hobby of choice.

Fee's Bitters Set

A dash (or two) of bitters is a go-to ingredient for adding robust flavor to cocktails. This 12-piece Fee Brothers bitters set [1] ($95) includes both the old standards (aromatic and orange) as well as more exotic offerings like cranberry, celery, rhubarb, and grapefruit that your giftee likely won't have on hand. Alternatively, tuck a single bottle or two like Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters [2] ($22) or Miracle Mile Yuzu Bitters [3] ($24) into their stocking.

Templeton Rye

Exceptionally smooth and unmistakably rye-forward, Templeton Rye [4] ($35) is a great intro to rye whiskey. Notably, it's made from more than 90 percent rye, which far exceeds the 51 percent minimum for the rye whiskey classification.

Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth

With sweet vermouth [5] ($33) this exquisite, there's no need to reserve it for mixed drinks only. Instead, it's a great candidate for sipping on the rocks unadorned or with an orange twist as an aperitif.

Japanese Mixing Glass

It's likely that the boozehound in your life already has a trusty cocktail shaker, and while that can certainly serve double duty for drinks that are stirred, not shaken, a Yarai mixing glass [6] ($60) is an elegant and pragmatic alternative as its straight sides make for easier stirring.

Flor de Caña Extra Dry 4 Year Old White Rum

Flor de Caña White Rum [7] ($18) is the only white rum on the market that's aged for four years yet is priced at an affordable rate. It's especially great in tiki and other tropical cocktails.

Bummer & Lazarus Gin

If your recipient is a sucker for a charming backstory, give them Bummer & Lazarus Gin [12] ($45). Named for two stray dogs (Bummer and Lazarus, naturally) whose friendship went the 19th-century equivalent of viral as a fixture in newspapers, one might assume that this tipple is all fluff. Thankfully, it wins on the flavor front as well with citrus and floral notes and a spicy finish.

St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

St. Germain's [13] ($37) delicate, floral notes are a natural pairing with citrus. A splash is a welcome addition to a glass of Champagne for a simple sparkling cocktail. Additionally, we love the way its swoon-worthy bottle design looks sitting on a home bar.

Silver-Plated Julep Cups

Add a touch of elegance to their next Kentucky Derby viewing party (or any night really) with a set of heirloom-worthy silver-plated julep cups [14] ($25 each).

Del Maguey Mezcal Vida

Often likened to being tequila's smokier cousin, mezcal like Del Maguey Vida [15] ($40) has surged in popularity across high-end cocktail bars lately. Incorporate it into cocktails, or sip it on the rocks.

Spirits History Books

For an extraspecial gift, give the gift of knowledge alongside a choice bottle of the corresponding spirit. Whether their tastes run toward gin [16] ($17), whiskey [17] ($16), rum [18] ($17), or vodka [19] ($17), there's a book to match!

Woodford Reserve Bourbon

Upscale enough for a gift without breaking the bank, spicy and smooth Woodford Reserve Bourbon [24] ($27) will please the palate whether served neat, on the rocks, or in a classic cocktail.

St. George Absinthe Verte

The best things come in small packages. Case in point: a petite 200 ml bottle of St. George Absinthe Verte [25] ($20), which, though small, will thankfully go a long way. Absinthe is often employed as a rinse in cocktails, where a dash is swished in a glass and then poured out (or used to rinse multiple glasses).

Rosle Channel Knife

A supersharp channel knife [26] ($26) makes all the difference when making citrus twists, a favorite bartender's garnish that adds flair and zesty flavor to cocktails.

Bitters History Book

Full of intriguing facts without edging into dry and boring territory, the award-winning Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, With Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas [27] ($25) is sure to be a fixture on their nightstand.

Hibiscus Flowers in Rose Syrup

Part visual spectacle (the petals unfurl in cocktails), part tart and floral cocktail garnish, preserved hibiscus flowers [28] ($17) are a hit in Champagne cocktails [29] and the like.

Quintessential Amaro Nonino

Bartender Bag

Moore & Giles Inc. and Jim Meehan of PDT [33] designed this upscale bartender's bag [34] ($595). It may be a splurge, but for the person who travels with cocktail gear to parties, it's a stylish way to keep everything organized.

Le Compte 5 Year Old Pays d'Auge Calvados

For a delightful digestif option, try Le Compte 5 Year Old Pays d'Auge Calvados [35]. At $50, it might seem pricey, but compared to other Calvados, which often go for upward of $100 a bottle, it's a steal.

Tomr's Tonic Concentrate

Elevate gin and tonics with Tomr's handmade tonic concentrate [36] ($12). The organic tonic develops its red color naturally from the bark of the cinchona tree, which is the original source for quinine.

St. George's Gin Sampler

Trader Vic's Roasted Chestnut Liqueur

Give a taste of Christmas with Trader Vic's Roasted Chestnut Liqueur [38] ($21). We particularly love a splash in Champagne for a warming wintery cocktail.

Gilded Champagne Flutes

These dainty, art-deco-inspired Champagne coupes [39] ($70 for four) serve double duty as a vessel for cocktails and sparkling wine.

Ice Ball Maker

Large, spherical ice cubes might seem all style and no substance, but we're partial to their ability to chill down cocktails and spirits served on the rocks without serious dilution. For the Rolls-Royce of ice cube makers, give this device [40] ($399) that melts down square ice cubes into spheres in a matter of seconds. For an affordable alternative, try a plastic ice cube mold [41] ($11).

Fortaleza Blanco Tequila

Forteleza Blanco Tequila [42] ($49) is so smooth and nuanced in flavor that it's meant to be sipped slowly (neat or on the rocks) rather than shaken into margaritas or gulped down shot-style.